ABSTRACT Realism during drills and exercises is sometimes difficult to achieve. A new technique to quickly and easily create data on “oiled shorelines” also generates displays that can be viewed on Google Earth™. Shoreline surveys are a fundamental aspect of any spill response and the data generated by these field surveys forms the basis for decisions by the spill management team regarding operational strategies, treatment tactics, and treatment end points. During an actual spill event these data are collected by field teams that survey the affected area and generate reports that are entered into a data management system. Oil spill drills and scenario exercises are a practical method to evaluate response functionality, train personnel and maintain readiness for both private sector organizations and regulatory agencies. Teams can be assembled, oil trajectories simulated, and all of the response decisions practiced. The one factor typically that is missing is actual oiled shoreline data to drive the decision process. Generation of this shoreline oiling data can be time consuming and require a level of effort that may not be considered warranted in terms of time and cost. A simple and rapid technique has been developed to create detailed and realistic oiling conditions on shorelines to address this deficiency. The data that is generated includes length, width, distribution, and thickness of oil within a selected tidal zone or zones; all of the typical SCAT data. This data can be easily transferred to GIS and database systems to generate the reports required by the management team and to track simulated cleanup activities. A similar application is to generate data for scenarios that commonly are included in oil spill response or contingency plans. This technique was used successfully during a major spill drill in Prince William Sound Alaska in May, 2007.